Search engine optimization, or SEO, remains THE most critical aspect of your digital strategy. You may choose to pump in millions of dollars in social media ads and paid marketing, but your website will still need the power of SEO. Of course, one of the foremost aspects of getting started is to select a SEO company that can handle your website’s marketing needs. Gone are times when it was just okay to select a basic package for SEO. In 2019, the approach to the process counts, and we are discussing more on how you can compare and select between SEO services, after considering the right aspects.
#1 Avoid the big promises
Unfortunately, many brands still have a hard time looking beyond the promises made by SEO agencies. It is important to appreciate that SEO is an organic process, and often, it can take a month or two to see visible difference in traffic or website’s performance. If you are looking for the right service, you have to be realistic about what they can offer.
#2 Check their portfolio in 2019
A company may have worked with over hundreds of clients, but how many of them are regular? The portfolio or work profile of a SEO company is the most critical aspect for comparison, and you don’t want to just check the work they have done previously. Check the number of clients they are managing in 2019 and if the concerned agency has good project retention rate.
#3 Interest in your business
Every website is unique, and so are the SEO needs. You need a company that is interested in your brand and would be willing to share its expertise, keeping specific SEO needs of your business in mind. Steer of companies that try to sell a package right away. The focus is more on offering a customized experience to the client, and for that, they must take interest in all aspects of your company.
#4 Don’t be tempted by cheap estimates
There is no denying that SEO is scalable. This simply means that you can decide on the overall budget for SEO in a comprehensive and practical manner. However, price alone shouldn’t be the reason to select a SEO service. You have to consider the expertise, experience and overall skills they bring to the table. To be more precise, the idea is to select an agency that can offer value for money, and if that means paying a tad more for the service, it’s worth spending.
#5 Ask questions about SEO trends
SEO is constantly evolving. For example, search engines, especially Google, are now focusing on voice search, and SEO practices have to be tweaked as required to accommodate long-tail keywords. How a SEO agency approaches these trends and the kind of knowledge they have about the changing online marketing landscape are aspects to consider.
Comprehensive assistance for better digital strategy
While this is not an absolute must for comparing SEO companies, but you may want to consider if the same agency can handle paid marketing, social media, search engine marketing, online reputation marketing, and other verticals of digital strategy. This kind of simplifies the process of planning your campaign, and you can work around a budget easily. Also, hiring the same agency for every aspect of a marketing campaign simplifies the process of supervision and management.
Taking the leap:
Before you finally give a nod to any SEO agency, make sure that you are not opting for a big contract immediately. Test the concerned service, but for at least two to three months, before signing a long-term deal.
